Wedding Planning Mistakes: 5 Hidden Pitfalls (and How to Stay Stress-Free)
You have gotten engaged, decided on an overall aesthetic for your wedding, booked a venue, and have specific elements for design in mind. Now the time has come to transition your Pinterest boards from dream to reality! While planning the logistics necessary to bring your vision to life is fun and exciting, the process has a reputation for turning stressful. There are some common pitfalls that people run into that can be key contributors to sucking the fun right out of something you've looked forward to. Below are 5 of the most frequent mistakes people make while planning a wedding and (more importantly) how to avoid them!
You have gotten engaged, decided on an overall aesthetic for your wedding, booked a venue, and have specific elements for design in mind. Now the time has come to transition your Pinterest boards from dream to reality! While planning the logistics necessary to bring your vision to life is fun and exciting, the process has a reputation for turning stressful. There are some common pitfalls that people run into that can be key contributors to sucking the fun right out of something you've looked forward to. Below are 5 of the most frequent mistakes people make while planning a wedding and (more importantly) how to avoid them!
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.*
Mistake 1: Forgetting to Budget Before Spending
The internet is a wonderful tool full of wedding inspiration - but all of the picturesque weddings popping up on social media don’t include price tags. Be sure to sit down with your partner and determine your budget before you book or buy anything! A budget is as much a price limit on your entire wedding as it is a guide for how much you’d like to spend on each vendor, decor element, or clothing item. Making a budget will also help you figure out what elements are most important to you - do you want lots of fragrant florals, or is having a top shelf selection at the bar more important? - and then allocate those funds accordingly so that you can manage your expectations and shop within a price range that you are comfortable with!
Pro-tip: If you are working on a limited budget, spend BIG on a few focal point items instead of spreading your budget too thin. Once the I-do's are said and the cake is cleared, the wedding photos are how you will predominantly look back on your big day! Choose a photographer that will produce quality images you will be happy to reminisce on your day over and ensure the elements in those photos are ones you are filled with joy to see. For example, the altar arrangements and your bouquet will be in more pictures than centerpieces or a welcome table, so prioritize those items when budgeting!
Pro-tip: DIYing your florals is extremely time-intensive and live floral arrangements can only be assembled 12-24 hours before the wedding day and need to be kept in a cool, somewhat humid environment (exact temperatures for ideal storage vary depending on flower type, though most would be ideally stored between 34-38 degrees F, with a humidity level of 75-85%). If this is a DIY project you are considering, be sure you have enough help and time to complete the arrangements without taking away from any of the other things you will need to do in those precious last hours leading up to your wedding!
Mistake 3: Constantly adding people to your guest list
Weddings are a time to not only commit your life in partnership and love, it is also a time to celebrate the support and community you are surrounded by! For many couples, drawing the line on the maximum number of invitees can be a challenge. It is helpful to create at least a rough draft of your guest list prior to booking a venue in order to ensure you are securing a space that can accomodate the number of guests you would like to host.
Organizing a list of everyone can be a very stressful feeling, but it does not have to be! Start by breaking up your guest list into small lists (An Excel sheet is great for this) - one tab for your family, one for your partner’s family, another for your friends, their friends, shared friends, work friends, etc. Prioritize each list into must invite, like to invite, and invite if the budget allows. Then as RSVPs come in, you can extend invites to additional people as needed.
Mistake 2: Trying to DIY Too Much
Wedding planning while newly-engaged can really bring out the artist in all of us. The idea of hand-painting signs and knitting favors for all 150 of your guests may sound like fun projects to incorporate bespoke touches to your big day- and they are!- but the reality may be a little different. While personalized, DIYed elements add a personal touch to your wedding and often save money, overextending your creativity and time can lead to wedding planning burnout! Instead of overloading yourself with too many projects, stick to only manageable projects that best use your creative talents, and leave the rest to Amazon Handmade and Etsy.
Pro-tip: Keep in mind that every guest costs more than just the price of a meal and a bar tab! Calculate the cost of every seat (table & chair rental, cost of centerpieces & table numbers, plates, drinkware, silverware, napkins, additional service staff to adequately serve & clean, etc.). Communicate with your partner about the importance of sticking to your invite list! For some people this is no problem, but if you and/or your partner are the kind that has never met a stranger and is at risk of inviting your Uber driver to the wedding, be sure you both are on the same page about the wedding guest list!
Mistake 4: Forgetting to delegate
Aside from actually getting married and celebrating the night away, you will have A LOT to do on your wedding day. Between gettting ready, taking photos, visiting with guests, eating (don't forget to actually eat!), you personally won't have time to do any of the set-up, breakdown, or logistical behind the scenes stuff that goes on in order to make your wedding day come together! To this end, seek out the support of professionals to ensure all of your hard work comes together in way you will be happy with. If professionals are not available for any certain task or are not within the budget, turn to trusted friends and/or family to assist with elements like picking up the cake, communicating with vendors on the day of, and confirming transportation. Delegate tasks, loosen the reins a bit, and enjoy the process!
Pro-tip: Even if you have a planner, coordinator, and/or decorator it is extremely helpful to delegate certain getting ready tasks to your wedding party or family members. A few examples include making sure your lunch makes it to you (and in you!) while getting ready, if you want to listen to music someone will need to make a playlist and bring a speaker, and someone will need to be in communication with your transportation team and/or wedding coordinator.
Mistake 5: Over-scheduling and Under-timing
Creating an unrealistic timeline that leaves no room for unexpected delays or breathing room is a sure fire way to add stress to any wedding. Build in buffer time between activities like traveling from the ceremony location to the reception (especially if they are at two separate locations across town!). Factor in time for travel, photos, and getting ready. Discuss a backup plan with your vendors in case unforeseen circumstances arise.
Pro-tip: Schedule the ceremony start time 30 minutes after guests are expected to arrive. Guests can mingle, sign the guest book, drop off cards and gifts, and find their seats during the in-between time, but allowing this 30 minutes will ensure your ceremony is not delayed due to guests' late arrival.
Bonus mistake! Forgetting to color coordinate your wedding attire with accessories!
There are endless shades of white and ivories and blacks and grays and really every color on the color wheel! Be sure to look at all of your wedding attire items next to each other, in person ahead of time to ensure they work well together. This goes for all wedding party attire, too! Check in with each wedding party member a few weeks in advance to ensure they have sourced any items they are to provide themselves (i.e. If the groomsmen all need to wear matte black dress shoes, make sure they know and are on top of it!)
Pro-tip: Champagne and gold go well with white and ivory! You can mix these shades in with your white or ivory for a regal accent.
Rehearsal Dinner Planning Guide
Rehearsal dinner usually immediately follows the ceremony rehearsal and is typically the final gathering of friends and family prior to the big day. Below is a planning guide to help you manage the who, what, when, where, why, and how of this event. Follow this guide or share it with the event host for a smooth rehearsal dinner planning experience!
Wedding day is right around the corner! A ceremony rehearsal is almost always necessary in order to get the bridal party and family members on the same page about how the ceremony, and the day as a whole, will run. This time is a great opportunity to share the timeline, ceremony details, and other pertinent information that you won’t want to spend time explaining on the actual wedding day.
Rehearsal dinner usually immediately follows the ceremony rehearsal and is typically the final gathering of friends and family prior to the big day. Below is a planning guide to help you manage the who, what, when, where, why, and how of this event. Follow this guide or share it with the event host for a smooth rehearsal dinner planning experience!
What is the purpose of rehearsal dinner?
This event is intended to gather your bridal party and immediate family in an intimate setting before the big day. Oftentimes family or bridal party members travel for your wedding and/or take time away from work or other obligations to attend the rehearsal and celebrate your love. This is an opportunity to show thanks for all that your bridal party and family have done for you!
When should the rehearsal dinner take place?
Rehearsal dinner typically occurs directly following the ceremony rehearsal. This means that it will take place either the night before or a few days prior to your wedding. While it is called “rehearsal dinner” it doesn’t necessarily have to be a dinner. If you host the rehearsal earlier in the day, it can be a rehearsal brunch or lunch. If you want something a little less formal you can have a rehearsal “happy hour” or something similar that implies a gathering that doesn’t necessarily include a full meal.
Pro-tip #1: Know your friends and plan accordingly. If you have a bridal party that likes to drink heavily, host the event two days before your wedding instead of the night before. No one wants a hungover bridal party on their wedding day! If this isn’t an option, limit the alcohol provided to wine and beer only.
Example rehearsal dinner planning timeline-
6 months prior to the wedding-
Create a guest list for the rehearsal dinner
Decide on the general “feel” for your rehearsal dinner (formal, casual, something in between?)
Contact ceremony venue and confirm rehearsal date
Find & book a venue to host the dinner
3 months prior to the wedding-
Consider how you want to invite your guests to rehearsal dinner
Order invitations if necessary
2 months prior to the wedding-
Send out invitations to rehearsal dinner (send these sooner if a lot of guests are traveling so they can book travel arrangements accordingly!)
1 month prior to the wedding-
Find decor for rehearsal dinner
Select attire for rehearsal dinner
1 day(ish) prior to the wedding-
Host ceremony rehearsal
Host rehearsal dinner
Who hosts the rehearsal dinner?
Traditionally the groom’s parents take on this task, but the host can be anyone, and completely depends on your situation. If the groom’s parents aren’t able to host- or if you have two brides-, it can be the bride’s parents, other relatives, or even yourselves! The bridal party doesn’t typically take charge of this event, since the event is intended as a “thank you” for them.
How should I invite people?
As always, there are no set rules. Sending formal invitations by mail is great if you have the time and wiggle room in the budget, but not necessary by any means! Many other wedding blogs and older generations would strongly disagree with me on this, though, so be prepared for a host coming from an older generation to find formal invitations necessary. Since the guest list is typically just those absolutely closest to you, invitations can easily be sent via email, Facebook, or even a quick text!
No matter how you choose to spread word about the party, the invitations do not need to be as formal as the wedding invitations. These invitations also do not need to be a reflection of your wedding design in any way, though they usually do incorporate aspects of your wedding design. You, or the host, can pick whatever aesthetic makes you all happy!
Pro-tip #2: If you and your host disagree on how invitations should be sent, choosing to mail more casual invitations with bright colors and fun fonts can be a good compromise!
Pro-tip #3: Take this one with a grain of salt, but… pick and choose your battles. There will probably be plenty of opinions coming your way about the wedding that you will need to navigate. If the host of this event feels really strongly about the invitations, this may not be the hill to die on.
Who should be invited?
Who you invite depends on the overall feel you are going for. Typically it is just your immediate family and anyone who is walking down the aisle (in other words, any one who needs to attend the ceremony rehearsal).
Here is a general outline of who is typically invited:
Your bridal party AND a guest*
*Not everyone has to have a guest. If they have traveled out of town with a “plus one” to your wedding, that person is usually invited to the rehearsal dinner. If you are good friends with their significant other, that person should be invited. If they are scrolling through Tinder and find someone they’d like to invite... you DEFINITELY don’t need to invite them.
Your immediate families (if your relationship with them allows for this)
If the host has a larger budget and you have a large wedding guest list (usually applicable if 250+), occasionally extended family who traveled from out of town will be invited too. If you invite your out of town extended family, most people will include their in town relatives as well.
What information should the invitations include?
As always, names, date, location, and time will need to be included on the invitation. The host should also specify what kind of refreshments can be expected (appetizers only, full dinner, hosted bar, BYOB, no alcohol, etc.) Be sure to include the time and location of the actual ceremony rehearsal, too!
The rehearsal dinner host may also want to include their name and that is totally fine! People will often word the invites “The parents/aunt/cousin/friend/etc. of X invite you to the wedding rehearsal of their daughter/son/other to [Fiance name here] [list time and location]. Dinner to follow [list time and location].”
Information at a glance:
Bride(s) & Groom(s) names
Date
Ceremony rehearsal time
Ceremony rehearsal location
“Dinner to follow at……”
Rehearsal dinner time
Rehearsal dinner location
Who should pay for the rehearsal dinner?
The cost of the rehearsal dinner typically will fall on the host. This varies on a case by case basis depending on financial situations. Some hosts may ask you to pay for a portion of the rehearsal dinner. If you cannot afford to fund any portion of the party, let the host know, and suggest a more casual or smaller rehearsal dinner to accommodate their budget! Much like the actual wedding, budget isn’t what defines the day. The most important aspect is celebrating your love while surrounded by the people who mean the most to you and your fiance! (See the end of blog for full example budget breakdowns.)
Where should the rehearsal dinner be hosted?
The rehearsal dinner can be hosted in any location, it will just depend on the size of the guest list, access to space, and budget. While the event can be as formal or informal as the host would like, they are usually hosted at a restaurant near the wedding venue. Choosing a private room in a restaurant can often be less expensive since so much will be included (i.e. in house catering, tables, chairs, flatware, plates, napkins, drinkware, bar, centerpieces, etc.) If a restaurant is not in the budget, a casual backyard get together is not out of the norm!
Pro-tip #4: Since the ceremony rehearsal usually takes place at the ceremony venue, it is most convenient for guests if rehearsal dinner is held at a restaurant or other location nearby.
What should we do at the rehearsal dinner?
Eat, drink, and socialize! The rehearsal is a great opportunity to distribute gifts to the bridal party and family. It is also the perfect time to allow bridal party members who will not be giving toasts at the wedding to give a quick speech!
Is a full meal expected at the rehearsal dinner?
YES! This does not mean you have to include one, but if you do not plan to serve a full dinner, communicate that with your guests so they can plan accordingly.
Rehearsals are typically a nicer meal, but that doesn’t mean yours has to be! A backyard BBQ or quick pizza party is completely acceptable! If the host wants to go all out and provide a full 5 course, sit down dinner, that is fine, too. As long as they are paying for it, and you are comfortable with it, there are no right or wrong answers as to what should be served.
What should be included in the budget?
This completely depends on what the budget allows for and what the host chooses to include! Below are some typical things to consider budgeting for:
Venue
Catering
Tables, chairs, plates, cups, flatware, napkins, etc.
Bar
Cake/dessert
Invitations
Decor
Miscellaneous
Of course there are endless approaches to maximize any budget! Below are 3 example budgets for rehearsal dinners.
Example 1 (the “bells and whistles” example)- overall budget $9k
40 guests, 2.5 hour party
Party Planner- $850
Venue- Nice Restaurant (includes tables, chairs, plates, flatware, cups, and food)- @ $100/person = $4,000
Bar (through venue- beer, wine, & top shelf liquor)- @ $30/person = $1,200
Photographer- $500
Music/entertainment (Live guitarist & singer)- $600
Cake from speciality bakery (2 tier 6” base, 4” top tier)- $450
Invitations (mailed invitations, w/ stamps & envelopes)- @$5/household = $90
Decor- $1,300
1 large balloon display $200
Florist (garland runners for tables & 2 accent pieces)- $1,000
Signage (welcome sign, seating chart, place cards, etc.)- $150
TOTAL: $8,995
Example 2 (the “mid range” example)- overall budget $2k
40 guests, 2.5 hour party
Venue- mid range restaurant (includes tables, chairs, plates, flatware, cups, and food)- @ $30/person = $1,200
Bar (through venue- beer & wine only)- @ $15/person = $600
Music/entertainment (restaurant music)- FREE
Dessert provided by restaurant, included in per person cost- NO EXTRA FEE
Invitations (mailed invitations, w/ stamps & envelopes)- @$2/household = $60
Decor- $65
DIY Trader Joe’s flowers 4 bushels @ $5/each- $20
Dollar tree vases, 5 @ $1/each = $5
Signage (enlarged poster of engagement pic, printed at Costco)- $40
TOTAL: $1,922
Example 3 (the “ballin’ on a budget” example)- overall budget $350
40 guests, 2.5 hour party
Venue (backyard) - FREE
Catering (pizza party! 10 pizzas @ $13/each + tip)- $150
Tables & chairs (use friend’s folding tables & chairs, buy dollar tree table covers)- $10
Plates, plasticware, and drinkware (use disposable- comes with pizza)- FREE
Bar (6 cases of beer @$15/each)- $90
Music (make playlist and set up your own speaker)- FREE
Cake/dessert (single tier, local grocer)- $35
Invitations (Send out email or create Facebook event)- FREE
Decor- $50
DIY Flowers (Trader Joe’s flowers) 5 bushels @ $5/bushel = $25
Dollar store vases 1 per table @$1/each = $8
Candles & dollar tree candle votives (2 per table)- $2/each = $16
TOTAL: $335
As you can see, the third example can easily decrease in price by only offering BYOB, cutting out all decor, skipping dessert and/or ordering cheaper pizza. Basically this is all to say, no budget is too small!
32 Questions to Ask A wedding Coordinator & Everything Else to Know Before Booking
When selecting a wedding coordinator is it important to find a professional who is willing to take the time to fully understand your vision in order to perfectly execute your plan! If you can find someone who is up for the task, you will walk into your wedding venue and see the beautiful plans you made in your head laid out perfectly before you!
In order to gauge if a professional has the ability to accomplish this, there are several questions that can be asked prior to booking to effectively vet the professional you are interested in.
Planning a wedding takes time, vision, and a lot of determination. When the day comes, all of the effort is worth it when you finally see everything you have worked and dreamed so hard for, come together. On the wedding day there are so many moving pieces that need to be managed, but you will be busy getting married and having fun! A wedding coordinator will take care of all the behind the scenes details to make sure everything is going according to plan.
When selecting a wedding coordinator it is important to find a professional who is willing to take the time to fully understand your vision in order to perfectly execute your plan! If you can find someone who is up for the task, you will walk into your wedding venue and see all of those pieces have fallen into place.
In order to gauge if a professional has the ability to accomplish this, there are several questions that can be asked prior to booking to effectively vet the professional you are interested in. Please note- a lot of these questions may be answered on the professional’s website. Asking too many questions may land you with an overwhelming amount of information! Be sure to ask the necessary questions so you are able to gather important information that will help guide your decision!
*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.*
What’s the difference between a wedding coordinator & a wedding planner?
A wedding planner lives up to their name! They plan your wedding, either for you or along side you depending on the professional and the level of support you require/prefer. They are there for everything: design, budgeting, pacing planning, vendor research & selection, and, of course, they’re there to ensure your wedding reflects YOU! Wedding planners are typically booked early on in the wedding planning process OR if a couple has begun planning but find they need support to complete the wedding plan.
A wedding coordinator is present on your wedding day to ensure all of the wedding plans come together. A wedding coordinator is perfect for couples who have found their venue & all of their vendors, thought through the logistics and simply need someone to step in on the actual wedding day to run the show so the couple and their loved ones can focus on celebrating and having fun instead of working. Their primary goal is to function as the point person to field all questions and oversee the execution of the day while acting as the liaison between the plan, the vendors, and you. Usually a day-of coordinator is booked anytime from 1-18 months prior to a wedding and begins working closely with a couple 1-4 weeks prior to their wedding to ensure the day runs smoothly and according to the couple’s vision.
Services included in a wedding coordination package-
Standard-
Timeline creation
A venue walkthrough prior to the wedding (especially if they are unfamiliar with the venue)
Collecting all vendor information from you
Distributing the timeline, floor plan, & other pertinent information to vendors 1-4 weeks prior to your wedding
Collecting copies of insurance (and other documents required by a venue) from vendors & passing this information along to the venue
Serving as the “team captain” of all the vendors on the day of the wedding to ensure everyone arrives on time, sets up where they are supposed to, follows any house rules provided by a wedding venue, and acting as the liaison between the couple and vendors to follow the timeline
Fielding any hiccups that may occur and making decisions to problem solve
Common, but not necessarily expected-
Floor plan creation (typically the venue or client is responsible for this with a day-of coordination package)
Providing an emergency bridal kit with a variety of items that commonly prove to be necessary at weddings
Attending meetings with you and the vendors
Communicating with vendors on your behalf regarding specific details pertaining to your wedding
Provide a specialized timeline for the wedding party and family members
Ceremony rehearsal coordination
Providing decor items
Decor set-up & breakdown (minimal decor set-up is often included, though anything beyond very basic decor set-up crosses over into the territory of a wedding decorator’s services. Wedding coordinators and wedding decorators are not the same job!)
Not common, but definitely an asset if included-
Assessing & offering feedback on vendor contracts
Collecting information regarding your balances with vendors, payment date with vendors, preferred payment method of vendors, vendor meal requirements, etc. to pass along to you and/or the venue
Reviewing order lists with rental companies, florists, caterers, etc. to ensure everything your event requires is accounted for
Discussing details to ensure you’ve got everything for the day-of covered even outside of ceremony & reception prep, execution, & clean-up
Full decor set-up and break down (including items exceeding 50lbs in weight & items requiring a ladder to install)
Extensive & specific decor creation or inclusion (i.e. sign creation, menu & placard creation, large rentals including tables, chairs, etc., decor extending beyond table numbers & candle votives, etc.)
Questions to ask a wedding coordinator before booking-
The basics-
Are you available on my date?
How much do your services cost?
What services do you offer, what are the differences between your packages, and what package will be the best fit for my needs?
Are there any additional fees?
Experience & expectations-
How long have you been a wedding coordinator?
How long have you been a wedding coordinator in my area?
How many weddings do you take on in a single weekend?
Will you personally be at my event?
What would you say your wedding coordinating “style” is?
Can you tell me about a wedding that you coordinated that you are particularly proud of?
What is your experience with problem solving?
Can you give me an example of something that went wrong at a wedding and how you handled it?
If we run into any issues throughout the planning process, what level of advocacy can we expect from since we are booking a day of coordination package?
How much access will I have to you throughout the planning period?
After I book, what are the next steps to working together?
When will we begin working together regularly?
Package questions-
With the day of coordination package, do you offer any support prior to the wedding day?
Will you collect, organize, and distribute important information such as vendor insurance info, vendor balances & due dates, vendor meal requirements, etc?
Will you attend venue walk throughs, vendor meetings, etc. throughout the wedding planning?
Will you create a day of timeline?
Will you provide the other vendors with this timeline? If so, when will this timeline be created and sent to the other vendors?
Will you create a timeline to provide to the family and bridal party? If so, when will this be created and distributed?
How many assistants will be present on my wedding day?
Do you include decor set up and breakdown in your package? Are there any limitations to this?
Will you help manage vendors on the day-of including arrival, set-up, timeline management, and breakdown times?
How much communication do you typically have with the other vendors leading up to the wedding date?
Will you take care of payment for outstanding balances on the wedding day? How does this process typically look when working with you?
Do you provide an emergency bridal kit in case something unexpected arises?
What kind of items are in the emergency bridal kit?
Will the provide additional resources that may be beneficial to you throughout your planning process?
The logistics-
Do you have insurance to provide to a venue if necessary?
Do you require a vendor meal(s)?
If we have any issues with vendors following the wedding are you able to advocate for us as a day of coordinator?
Do you have any references?
Things to consider when looking for a wedding coordinator-
You more or less get what you pay for- If someone quotes you $500 for the same package that someone else is quoting at $2k, there is likely a large difference in experience. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality of work will be significantly different, but it is a very strong possibility.
Day-of coordination should really include month-of coordination- Your day of coordinator will need to begin working with you closely in the weeks immediately preceding your wedding to properly coordinate with vendors and manage the day successfully. They will need to create your timeline (or at least have the opportunity to review it), connect with vendors about arrival times and accurate contact information, discuss design detail with you, review order lists from other vendors, etc. There are a lot of small moving pieces, even with the simplest of weddings! Make sure that the coordinator you are looking into is willing to do the appropriate amount of leg work leading up to your wedding to do the best job possible!
Some day-of coordinators are strictly day-of only- It can be challenging to jump in essentially blind on the wedding day with nothing but a timeline and vendor contact list provided by the client, however a very small number of coordinators do this. They are typically a lower cost and don’t provide the same level of execution that someone who spends time getting acquainted with the plan prior to the wedding. These coordinators are hard to find, because it truly is not a method that will consistently set the professional up for success. The professionals who offer this kind of service are typically either inexperienced and/or offer a very “bare-bones” approach to their day of coordination packages. If you feel that your wedding is extremely straightforward and are looking for a day-of service only, be very careful selecting a coordinator who says they will take this approach! Even if you feel this is what you need, there is a reason it is a rare form of service to find!
Not every package will include the same amount of support- As extension to the last point, coordinators have a very wide range of what will be included in their packages. Some wedding coordinators will do all of your decor set up and break down. Some will only communicate and coordinate with vendors and nothing more. A lot of wedding coordinators will do something in between. Make sure that you are realistically considering what kind of service you will need before booking!
Things to do after booking your wedding coordinator-
Discuss what information they will require and when they need to receive this information. Wedding coordinators will typically need all of your vendor contact information, vendor contracts, “house rules” or venue protocols, a floor plan (unless they include the creation of this in their package), order forms from rentals, florals, caterers, etc., a list of decor you are personally providing, the ceremony information (i.e. walking order for the processional, seating plan for immediate family/VIPs, etc.), and a timeline (unless they include creation of one in their package). Depending on the specific coordinator you have booked, they may require more information.
Discuss what kind of questions you can come to them with throughout your planning process. Typically day-of coordinators are only readily available for support about a month or so prior to your wedding. Certain coordinators (myself included) make themselves available to answer questions regarding general vendor recommendations, reviewing vendor contracts, and discussing any variety of factors that may alter or shift your timeline.
Ask how often you can expect them to touch base. Day-of coordinators typically will reach out roughly a month prior to your wedding, but depending on the specific coordinator and how far in advance you’ve booked they may reach out intermittently to check in.
Move forward accordingly! Be mindful of the services included in your coordinator’s package and respectful of your coordinator’s time. Most coordinators offer full wedding planning or partial wedding planning packages. This makes them a great resource and a wealth of information, but also can present the opportunity for clients to surpass “coordination” questions and begin dabbling in “planning” questions/requests. If the coordinator has made themselves available to answer questions or offer support, then fabulous! Ask away! Keep in mind, they are going above and beyond the official role of coordinator because they care about YOU and YOUR wedding! If the coordinator feels the questions and level of support being asked of them is beyond what is included in the package you have booked, they may require you to increase the package to partial or full planning package, or simply tell you they are unable to provide the level of support you are requesting given the package you have booked. This is not a bad thing! If you require more support, ask to increase your package with them so that you can feel supported throughout the wedding planning process and confident in the plans you are making.
Questions to Ask A Wedding Planner Prior to Booking
Weddings vary so much from event to event. A wedding should be a expression of each couples uniqueness. When selecting a wedding planner is it important to find a professional who can take your vision to heart and provide guidance that will ultimately result in a day that reflects your vision, love, and personality!
In order to accurately gauge if a professional has the ability to accomplish this, there are several questions that can be asked prior to booking to properly vet the professional you are interested in. Below is a list of quality questions to inquire about before signing a contract with your wedding planner.
Weddings vary so much from event to event. A wedding should be a expression of each couples uniqueness. When selecting a wedding planner is it important to find a professional who can take your vision to heart and provide guidance that will ultimately result in a day that reflects your vision, love, and personality!
In order to accurately gauge if a professional has the ability to accomplish this, there are several questions that can be asked prior to booking to properly vet the professional you are interested in. Below is a list of quality questions to inquire about before signing a contract with your wedding planner. Please note- a lot of these questions may be answered on the professional’s website. Asking too many questions may land you with an overwhelming amount of information! Be sure to ask the necessary questions so you are able to gather important information that will help guide your decision!
Questions to ask prior to booking a wedding planner-
The basics-
Are you available on my date?
I don’t have a date set, what if we ultimately pick a date that you are not available?
How much do your services cost?
What services do you offer, what are the differences between your packages, and what package will best fit my needs?
Are there any additional fees?
Experience & expectations-
How long have you been a wedding planner?
How long have you been a wedding planner in my area?
How many weddings do you take on in a single weekend?
Will you personally be at my event?
What would you say your wedding planning “style” is?
Can you tell me about a wedding that you planned that you are particularly proud of?
What is your experience with problem solving?
Can you give me an example of something that went wrong at a wedding and how you handled it?
If we run into any issues throughout the planning process, how will you advocate for us?
How much access will I have to you throughout the planning period?
After I book, what are the next steps to working together?
Package questions-
How much support do you offer with pre-wedding planning? Specifically-
During the vendor selection process, will you provide options?
How many options of each vendor will you provide?
Am I able to express my desires/interests for certain vendors?
Who will make the ultimate selection?
Will you offer guidance if I am unsure what elements I should be considering about certain vendors?
Will you review contracts provided by other vendors?
Will you track my budget and spend?
Will you provide design consultations?
How many meetings will we have before the wedding?
How often will we have meetings leading up to my wedding?
Will you solely be responsible for assisting with my wedding planning or do you have other staff that I will also be working with?
Will you create my invitations, send invitations, and track RSVPs?
Will you create any signage for the wedding?
Will you attend venue walk throughs, vendor meetings, etc. throughout the wedding planning?
Will you create a day of timeline?
Will you provide the other vendors with this timeline?
If so, when will this timeline be created and sent to the other vendors?
Will you create a timeline to provide to the family and bridal party?
If so, when will this be created and distributed?
Do you include day of coordination in your wedding planning package?
How many assistants will be present on my wedding day?
Do you include decor set up and breakdown in your package?
Will you help manage vendors on the day of?
How much communication do you typically have with the other vendors leading up to the wedding date?
Will you coordinate their arrival, set up, and breakdown times on the wedding day?
Will you take care of payment for outstanding balances on the wedding day?
Do you have any decor included in my package or available for rent?
The logistics-
Do you have insurance to provide to a venue if necessary?
Do you require a vendor meal(s)?
If we have any issues with vendors following the wedding will you still be present to help advocate for us?
Do you have any references?
Things to consider when looking for a wedding planner-
Involvement in wedding planning- How involved do you want to be in the wedding planning process? Some couples would like to be very hands on in all elements of the planning process, while others would prefer to be next to surprise on the wedding day! To find the right planner for you, you first need to decide the level of involvement you are comfortable with.
Alternatives to full wedding planning- If you are determined to do all of the wedding planning, but will still need someone to take care of the logistics and “behind the scenes” aspects of your wedding day, a Day of Coordinator may be a better fit for you. If you will need a little support on the planning but have it mostly covered, you may need a partial planning package! If the wedding professional you love doesn’t have a package that is quite perfect for what you need, ask if they can customize a package for you!
Payment schedules- Wedding planning takes a lot of hours and hours cost money! The planner will probably require payment on a schedule throughout the planning period to be compensated for the time they are spending. Be sure to talk through this payment schedule and discuss how it will fit into your overall budget.
Be upfront with budget- A professional wedding planner will completely understand if you are not able to work their packages into your budget. They may not be able to offer alternative pricing, but being honest about budget upfront will give them the opportunity to explain how they can or cannot fit into your overall budget.
If you haven’t selected a wedding date yet- Since most wedding planners will help with date and venue selection you likely will not have a date set at the time of booking. Discuss what will happen if you ultimately select a date that they are not personally available on.
You more or less get what you pay for- If someone quotes you $2k for the same package that someone else is quoting $10k, there is likely a large difference in experience. This doesn’t mean that the quality of work will necessarily be significantly different, but it is a very strong possibility.
Things to do after booking your wedding planner-
Get to planning! Ask your first steps after booking. This will likely be reviewing the budget, making a game plan for the planning process, and going over what you are looking for in a venue.
Save the Dates, Invitations, and a bit on RSVPs
Sending out Save the Dates and Invitations are SUCH fun parts of wedding planning. For so many people this is the first step that makes everything feel real. Soak in these vital steps, and feel confident you are doing it right by reading the information below!
Sending out Save the Dates and Invitations are SUCH fun parts of wedding planning. For so many people this is the first step that makes everything feel real. Soak in these vital steps, and feel confident you are doing it right by reading the information below!
Before reading on, here are two super useful tips!
Pro-tip #1: A common mistake people make is ordering for guest count instead of household.
Mistake: ordering 250 invitations for 250 guests
Pro planning: ordering 1 invitation per household (i.e average household 3 people/house: 250 divided by 3 = ~83 Save the Dates and invitations)
Pro-tip #2: Order extra! You may want to invite additional people and you will probably want one for keepsake. While you still don’t need to order one for every single guest, rounding up is always good in case you make new friends, have people drop out that you want to replace, or just want a few extra for your own (or parents, family, close friends, etc.) keepsake! Another huge pro to this- the big name stationary sites base their discounts on round numbers, so ordering 100 vs. 84 will end up being less expensive.
Mistake- Ordering 84 save the dates/invitations for ~83 households.
Pro planning: Ordering 100 save the dates/invitations for ~83 house holds.
Save the Dates
Save the Dates are a great way to mentally prepare your guests for your upcoming wedding. You might not have all the details like time, location, attire, meal plan, etc. hammered out, but a Save the Date will let guests know the most basic information about the wedding to plan for. While these are helpful with communicating this information to guests, they do add some cost to your wedding and aren’t necessary for every situation.
When are Save the Dates REALLY needed?
Save the Dates can be useful for every wedding, but you don’t HAVE to have them for any wedding. If you are tight on money, time, or simply just don’t want them you can skip them altogether. Save the Dates are most useful when planning either a destination wedding or when planning a wedding where most of your guests will be traveling. In a situation where guests will need to be traveling it is useful to let everyone know ahead of time. Save the Dates allow guests the opportunity to save money/sent money aside for travel and gifts, communicate with work, and plan for childcare (if necessary).
When should I send my Save the Dates out?
Save the Dates can be sent whenever you have solidified a date and location. You can technically send them before a venue is booked if you are 100% positive of the city and date the wedding will be held, but it is best to send them once the venue is booked. Couples will often fall in love with a venue that isn’t available on their desired date, so they change the date to accommodate the venue. If the date you have chosen means a lot to you and you are positive you will be selecting a venue based on the date and not the other way around, go ahead and send the Save the Dates!
If you are having a lot of out of town guests or planning a destination wedding Save the Dates ideally will be sent a full year in advance. If your wedding is more intimate and still requires a majority of guests to travel, Save the Dates should be sent in the 6-8 month prior range, if possible. If you are planning a more intimate wedding in a shorter time span it may be more efficient to skip the Save the Dates, touch base personally with guests to give them a heads up, and send invitations a little sooner than you would typically.
What is the latest I should send a Save the Date?
This, again, will vary depending on the situation. The absolute latest in any situation that you should send a Save the Date is 2 months out from the wedding (and this still only works for a really intimate wedding with short planning period). For a larger wedding this deadline should be by the 4 month mark. For a larger travel heavy wedding this deadline should be 5 months out. If you can’t make this deadline, skip the Save the Dates altogether and just send an invitation. Even for an intimate wedding, 2 months would be cutting it pretty close. Keep in mind, you will need to confirm with the venue and caterers the final headcount about a month prior to the wedding so you need to have time for people to receive their Save the Date and invitation and then RSVP.
What information should my Save the Dates include?
Save the Dates are just a quick, formal heads up to guests that you will be hosting a wedding on a particular date in a certain city. At minimum the Save the Date should include your names, date, and city. A lot of couples will build a wedding website and include that on the Save the Date as well. Even if the wedding website isn’t 100% completed (and frankly at this point it probably won’t be) providing the link will give guests a resource to check in to for more information as it is made available. If you have your venue locked in you can also include this in the Save the Date.
What should my Save the Dates look like?
Like everything else with a wedding, this completely depends on what you want. A common trend is for people to use a photo from their engagement session as the background of their Save the Date. Another common trend is for people to make their Save the Dates magnets so people can keep them on their fridge or somewhere convenient to find the information.
Invitations
What information should I include in my invitations?
Invitations should be a quick snapshot of all the vital information guests need to know in order to show up to the right place at the right time on the right day. They should include the who, what, when, where, and why of the day (not necessarily in that order). Include both the bride(s) and/or groom(s) names. If someone other than yourselves are paying for a chunk, the majority, or all of the wedding it is common to word your invitation: “X and X invite you to the wedding of their [son/daughter/other- name] to [fiance name here].” The name and address of the venue is vital. They will also need to know what time to arrive. If you have a wedding website you can include the website and let people know that they can RSVP and find more info there. If you don’t have a wedding website, you’ll need to include an RSVP card and pre-stamped envelope for guests to send back. You’ll also need to include a meal card if necessary, attire expectation (even if super casual, let them know!! No one wants to show up in a ball gown when everyone else is in sun dresses!), whether kids are invited or not, hotel block information (even if you don’t have a room block, they will need to know!), transportation accommodations, and information on events surrounding the wedding (pre-wedding welcome event, after wedding brunch etc.). Again, if you have a wedding website, you can list all of this info on the website and have your invite include just the very basics.
Pro-tip: directing guests to a wedding website for more info is a great option if possible. You can update information as plans evolve, include an FAQ page so guests can refer to this instead of having everyone individually reach out to you with questions, and, last but certainly not least, you can have your registry on your website so when guests visit to RSVP they can conveniently purchase a gift.
What should my invitations look like?
Again, the aesthetics of the invitations completely depend on your taste. If possible, it is ideal to have your invitations aesthetic inline with your wedding. Chose colors, shapes, and fonts that are relatively similar to those that will be at your wedding. This will help with a few things. First, this will give guests an idea of what to expect. It can set the tone of formality and give them an idea into color scheme. If you don’t want people to dress in the same colors as your bridal party or vice versa, let them know! Either way, invitations are a great ay to start communicating what those colors will be. Second, photographers love to capture your invitation as a prop on the wedding day. Having this match the overall aesthetic will create for some more cohesive pictures. Again, this is just a suggestion. It is your wedding and there are no rules; do literally whatever you want.
When should I send my invitations?
This will vary depending on a few factors. Some things to consider: when do you need to confirm numbers with the caterer and venue? How many people will be traveling for your wedding? How many people are you inviting (the more people you invite, the more people you will need to track down to confirm RSVP status!!)? For reference, for an average wedding of 150 guests with 33% traveling domestically, you should send the invitations out 2.5 months prior to the wedding, with the RSVP date 1-1.5 months prior to the wedding depending on catering and venue requirements.
When should I have guests RSVP by?
For your own sake, it is best to set the RSVP date at least 1 month prior to your date. Guest count will alter your seat/table count, plate count, party favor count, etc. Never have I ever been a part of a wedding of any size where 100% of the guests RSVP on time on their own without a nudge. Giving yourself some extra time will help alleviate some of the planning that just can’t be done until the final headcount is in. While a month is the minimum, I highly recommend giving yourself at least 1.5 months so you have a full 2 weeks to track people down and get all RSVPs. If you are having a wedding with over 250 guests, give yourself a full 2 months. Even if you are having a wedding of 1,000 don’t give yourself more than 2 months, though. Expectedly, things happen in our guests lives and anything longer than 2 months will allow for too many unforeseeable variables in guests lives and you’ll have to do a lot of adjusting as people’s plans change.
Some great resources to purchase your Save the Dates and/or invitations
There are plenty of boutique vendors that can create incredible custom pieces for you. Everyone will have a different niche aesthetic. If you are looking for something on the less niche and more affordable end check out the following:
www.vistaprint.com
Why I love them- you can really create whatever look you are going for. There are some preset templates you can use if you are ~creatively challenged~ or you can fully customize your own cards if you’re into DIYing the design. Their prints are consistent and good quality. Another huge plus, they are CHEAP.
Pro-tip- Google discount codes before ordering! They are almost ALWAYS running a special. If you can’t find one, create an account BEFORE creating your cards. Save your design and then sit back and wait. Within a week they will email you a discount code.
www.minted.com
Why I love them- Their designs are lovely, their prints are consistent, and they give my clients a discount. Use my code: WEDPLLA for 35% off Save the Dates and 25% off all wedding things.
www.basicinvite.com
Why I love them- My very favorite thing about this site is they offer clear invitations for about $1 each. The next least expensive clear option I have found is $8/each. The price is unbeatable. They offer plenty of other designs or fully customizable blank slate options as well. The prints are consistent and good quality. They allow you to fully customize the invitations and Save the Dates.
Pro-tip- look for discount codes! They aren’t as common as Vistaprint discount codes, but their prices are already lower so it balances out. It is still worth looking for a code though!
Have additional questions? Feel free to reach out via email! theweddingplannerla@gmail.com
As always, happy planning!!
10 Ways to Stay Organized While Wedding Planning
Staying organized is key when it comes to wedding planning! While this may come more naturally for some than others, getting an early start to organization will help everyone equally. If you have found yourself already knee deep in wedding planning with no real organization plan, don’t fret! It is never too late to get on top of organization! Here are 10 great ways to get and stay organized throughout wedding planning!
Staying organized is key when it comes to wedding planning! While this may come more naturally for some than others, getting an early start to organization will help everyone equally. If you have found yourself already knee deep in wedding planning with no real organization plan, don’t fret! It is never too late to get on top of organization! Here are 10 great ways to get and stay organized throughout wedding planning!
Create a wedding email and check it often.
Having an email specific to your wedding is helpful for two main reasons. First, this will help keep all of your wedding related emails organized and in one place. Second, once the wedding is over, this will save you from having promotional emails sent from vendors crowding your regular email’s inbox! Having a separate email will only work if you check it often, though!
Keep all of your wedding information in one spot.
There are many ways to go about this. I have come across some amazing hard copy wedding planning journal style books, however, I highly recommend going digital. This allows you to easily edit or add information as your planning evolves. I personally love Google Docs for this. With this platform it is simple to keep your information organized, the documents are easy to send out if you need to share any of the information, you can save all of your contracts into your Google Doc wedding folder, and you can invite your fiancé, bridal party, parents, planner, or whoever else to edit relevant documents (think: to-do lists!!). No matter what platform you choose, it is immensely helpful to keep everything together in one space!
Make a planning timeline.
Map out the days/months/years that you have to plan your wedding and then breakdown your vendor searches and planning process into smaller more manageable timeframes. Take into consideration what will be going on in your personal life during this time, and plan your planning around that! Mapping out your “plan of attack” for wedding planning will help you feel confident you are making progress, help you stay on top of your to-do list, and (hopefully) make the whole wedding planning process more fun!! Click here for more on creating a planning timeline.
Create a budget outline.
I may be a little budget obsessed, but it is for good reason! Budget is important! Not-so-fun fact: I once had a friend blow their budget by $60k. That was 200% their initial budget. So how did that happen? The budget wasn’t being tracked and it wasn’t accurately assessed before vendors started being booked. Avoid this situation by creating a full budget breakdown BEFORE booking any vendors. Do some research to make sure your estimates are accurate and allocate money to the things you value most. This will guide every single aspect of your wedding planning, so it is important to get a head start on this early on! Make sure that you stay within budget (or consciously decide to extend the budget) by carefully tracking every expenditure. If you have multiple people funding the wedding, track who paid what, when and using which method. This will be important not only for tracking your budget, but also for tracking what outstanding balances you still have coming. Click here for more on creating a budget outline.
Create a Pinterest board(s).
Wedding planning in the days of Pinterest has been a joy. There is a world of inspiration out there just waiting for you to tap into it. While scrolling through the millions of inspiration pictures your vision may change and that is okay! As your vision shifts, take away pins that are no longer inspiring to you. If you like something about a picture, make a note of what it is specifically that makes you want to incorporate this into your wedding. Pinterest boards are great to share with your wedding planner, florist, decorator, hair and makeup team, and baker, so keep is up to date and organized! Pro-tip: bare budget in mind when looking through Pinterest. Pinterest doesn’t filter for price, and it can be painful to fall in love with a dress or floral arrangement. That being said, just because something looks super expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be. If you really love something, look into it! Maybe it is more attainable than you initially thought! Visit The Wedding Planner LA Pinterest page for inspiration!
Keep a running list of booked vendors.
Have your basic vendor info all on one page so you can find the necessary info at a glance instead of shuffling through contracts. You can format this however works best for you, but it is super useful to include the following information for each vendor all compiled in one document:
Service being provided
Company name
Contact person name
Contact person email & phone number
Number of hours booked (start and end time as soon as known!)
Remaining balance, payment due date(s), and preferred payment method
If they require a vendor meal & dietary restrictions if applicable (usually this will be your planner/coordination team, photographer, videographer, DJ/Musician, and anyone else onsite for longer than 5 hours).
Instagram handle
Make lists.
Lists are your friend. List out everything. Your big to-do list, smaller to-do list, wedding vendor research information, style inspiration, etc. Lists are great because you can track your progress and remember all of the little details that you have been or intend to work on.
Build a wedding website.
This will save you SO. MUCH. WORK. A wedding website will do a lot of organizing for you. Have your registry on the website to easily track gifts. You can even track who you have already sent thank you cards to! Have guests RSVP on the website to easily track those. Provide useful information and updates about the wedding so you don’t have 50 guests calling to ask the same question. A wedding website is an incredibly useful tool
Send thank you cards as you receive gifts.
Speaking of your registry and thank you cards, stay organized and save yourself a lot of time by writing thank you cards as you receive gifts. It is easier to track this if you have a wedding website, but even if you are going a less techy route, be sure to list the gifts you have received, immediately send a thank you, and track the thank you’s once you have sent them. Pro-tip: Trying to write 100 thank you’s at once is daunting and tiresome. Sending thank you’s as gifts come in will allow you the time to write a thoughtful response.
Create a seating chart.
First, let me say, creating a draft of this is helpful if you find yourself randomly with a few extra hours in a day, but you cannot finalize your seating chart until you get your RSVPs back. Second, this topic deserves its own blog. Check back for that one soon! In the meantime, here are two very vague reasons why a seating chart is useful:
Food service. If you are doing plated dinner, you need people committed to a seat so that they can have the meal they were intended. If you are doing food buffet style you need everyone evenly distributed so when table 1 is called there is a predictable amount of people coming over for the catering staff. If you are doing family style, you need to know exactly how many people will be at each table in order to distribute food properly.
Think back to your days of eating lunch at your high school cafeteria. It’s the first day of school and everyone is figuring out who to sit with. There are large groups of people who all love each other and want to sit together so 20 of them crowd around one lunch bench. There are five kids who are kind of friends with some of those people and they want to hang out with them, but they don’t see room for themselves. They scatter and feel a little hurt they weren’t specifically invited to the big table. There is the kid who doesn’t really know anyone so they sit off by themselves in a corner and don’t socialize with anyone. There is also everyone in between. Get ahead of the drama by assigning seats. It will make everyones life easier in the long run
Select Your Vendors Like a Pro
Selecting vendors can be a daunting task. There are SO many options out there so how can you be sure you are making a good choice? It is challenging selecting vendors that fit in your budget or are worth stretching the budget for! There are a few specific steps I take when sifting through and vetting vendors before sending them to my clients. Follow these steps and you’ll be picking vendors like a pro!
Selecting vendors can be a daunting task. There are SO many options out there so how can you be sure you are making a good choice? It is challenging selecting vendors that fit in your budget or are worth stretching the budget for! There are a few specific steps I take when sifting through and vetting vendors before sending them to my clients. Follow these steps and you’ll be picking vendors like a pro!
***Before you get going on vendor research, I highly recommend making a full budget!! Making a full, realistic budget will help guide your vendor selection. See my full budget guide here***
Decide on a general vision for each specific vendor-
Before diving into the deep end of vendor research, have an idea of what you are after. A few things to shape this vision: budget, what you hope to get out of your contract with this vendor (i.e. how many hours, how many assistants, etc.), what “style” do you want (i.e. what kind of venue do you want, what style of photography do you like, what kind of food do you want, etc.).
Venue- indoor, outdoor, mix of both, beach, woods, mountains, all inclusive, DIY, somewhere in between, how late do you want to be there into the evening, will they be hosting other events in the space that day, will they take care of trash removal, do they provide restrooms, power, or any other basic amenities, do they provide tables, chairs, an arbor, a bar space,etc.? For reference, a wedding with 100 guests at a venue that provides only power and restrooms will cost about $7k in rentals, if you go with the most basic rental options. This should absolutely be factored in to your overall cost when selecting a venue.
Wedding Planner- do you want to be involved in wedding planning or do you want to think about it as little as possible? You will spend a lot of time with your wedding planner and your wedding planner needs to be able to see YOUR vision in order to create your special day. Make sure that this is someone you are ready and excited to spend time with!
Photographer- do you want light and airy, dark and moody, true to color, posed photos, raw emotions, or a mix, how many hours will you need them, do you need 2 photographers or will one suffice (2 are recommended for larger guest counts and spread out venues), do you want an engagement shoot, how many photos are you hoping to get back? Ask to see a full wedding album instead of just the highlights!
Videographer- what do you want included in the video? Montage of key events throughout the day, full vows, speeches, and special dances, or a combo of the above? Be sure to look through several examples so you have a clear idea of what your edit will include.
Caterer- what kind of food do you want, how will it be served, will they provide apps as well, do they offer plates, cups, and flatware rentals, how experienced are they with larger events, do they provide bussers?
DJ/Musician- will they make announcements for you throughout the event, how many sound systems will they bring (you will need 2-3 for most venues if you are doing ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception in different spaces), will they allow you to provide song requests, do they have experience playing to a crowd, can they provide a microphone for the ceremony and reception, how active are they on the mic? HINT: A sound system is the full set up which will include a set of speakers (1-2 speakers for ceremony cocktail hour, 2+ speakers for dinner/dancing), microphone (confirm this with your DJ! Some charge extra), amp, mixer, music device (usually a laptop), and dance floor lighting (where appropriate).
Bar- do you need a full service bar, or would you like to build your own bar and hire just the bartenders? Will your venue allow you to DIY the bar? If you are DIYing the bar, will you ned to rent the physical bar? Are you bartenders licensed?
Florist- do you want more “traditional” bouquets and centerpieces or would you like something else? Are you looking for other decor rental? A lot of florists also offer vases, candles, and other decor to add to your order. Be sure to look through their portfolios! If you have a go-to florist you typically use, but are looking for a different style, show them some examples of what you would like and see if it is something they have experience with or feel comfortable doing. A lot of florists will do special designs that are outside of their norm but not show examples of this work on their Instagram or website because it isn’t “on brand.”
Dessert- what kind of dessert do you want, how do you want your cake to look, how many tiers do you wants the cake to have, will they deliver or do your desserts need to be picked up?
Hair and makeup- up-do, hair down, braiding, something in between, heavy contour makeup, natural look, something in between? Be sure to look through portfolios and ask for a trial run day! Trial runs are very important! Not just to make sure you like the styles they come up with but also to see how long your hair and makeup are holding up throughout the day.
Rentals- does the company offer unique pieces that will work with your venue, are the rates competitive with other comparable companies in your area, what will they charge for delivery, do they offer same day delivery and pick up, can they extend delivery and pick up is necessary?
Do your own research-
Recommendations from friends or professionals are a great place to start, but doing your own research to make sure they are a good fit for you is vital. Just because a friend or professional has had a good experience with someone, doesn’t mean they are going to be a great fit for you! Friends of friends may offer discounts, but if these people are not professionals then you may be wasting $400 instead of feeling good about spending $800. Ask to see pictures or videos of these “friendors” in action! If they do this professionally on the side, ask for a website or review site link! I’ve seen plenty of vendors that recommend other vendors that they haven’t worked with for a long time. Business quality can change overtime so it is important to confirm the recommended company is still worth your while!
Diversify your Research sources-
Conduct research from a few different angles. A quick google search might not yield the kind of options that you are looking for. WeddingWire, The Knot, Thumbtack, Facebook wedding groups, and sites like these will give you more diverse vendor options! Depending on the type of vendor you are looking for search on Instagram, too!
Always cross reference reviews-
Reviews can vary from platform to platform so it is important to cross reference and be sure that you are getting the most recent takes on the company. Some insight into review companies: anyone can leave a company reviews on Google so companies may ask their friends to leave reviews to raise their overall rating. WeddingWire is similar, but it is more challenging to leave a review on, so friends are less likely to pad the reviews for vendors. Yelp has an algorithm that is meant to weed out “fake” reviews, but a lot of real reviews are taken down in the process (there are also a lot of theories on their marketing approach that can also affect the reviews that show). Be sure to scroll down on the Yelp pages to the “unrecommended” section to read reviews that aren’t weighted in overall.
Read reviews with a different perspective-
Even if you like the quote a company sends and they have five stars across review platforms, be sure to read the reviews and look for consistencies. For example, if I’m looking for DJ/MCs and I see a lot of five star reviews saying how the MC "is really active on the mic,” I’m not going to send that company to a couple who really just wants music and a few key announcements.
Schedule phone or in-person meetings before booking-
It is important to feel comfortable on your wedding day and your vendors a huge part of your comfort! You will spend so much time with certain vendors on your actual wedding day, and even the ones that you won’t, they will still interact with guests! If you have a vendor that runs a little high strung, they may create unnecessary anxiety on your special day. A great way to accommodate this is to make sure your personalities mesh beforehand!
Read through your contracts very, very closely-
This is a legally binding document that should protect you as well as the vendor. Make sure that there is fine print written in about what will happen in the event of cancelation (on either the couple AND vendors part). Numbers and dates should be firm (I.e. by what date will you get sneak peek pics back, when can you expect the full album back, how many photos can you expect back, etc. These examples are specific to photos, but all contracts should be quantitative and clear. This does not apply when booking a wedding planner if you don’t already have a venue secured). A contract that doesn’t protect you is definitely a red flag!! If you find any of these issues and bring them up to a vendor and they are unwilling to adjust the contract to protect you, that is a major red flag and a good sign that you should continue your search!
Other notable tips:
A vendor’s experience doesn’t necessarily chalk up to quality of service! Just because someone hasn’t been working weddings specifically for a long time doesn’t mean they should be immediately counted out. If you like their style, food, etc., they are well informed on the effort that weddings take, and they are ready to do what it takes to do an awesome job on your wedding they are still worth considering. If you unsure about them, ask your wedding planner or coordinator! They may be able to offer valuable insight to make sure you are making the best decisions for your wedding!
Break up your search into several days. It is easy to get burnt out on sifting through vendors. Packages start to run together, things that would normally stick out become easy to overlook, and the whole experience may become less enjoyable.
Be thorough! Don’t settle! You can find the perfect vendor out there for you!
Be sure to check out my preferred vendors list to kick start your search!
Useful links:
Budget planning tips: https://www.theweddingplannerla.com/blog/wedding-budgeting-the-first-step-to-planning
My preferred vendors: https://www.theweddingplannerla.com/resources
Day of Decor/Photo Op Props Checklist
As you think through your wedding day and are organizing the pieces you have bought or rented, work through this list to make sure you have accounted for everything! Remember, every wedding is unique and you may not want to incorporate some of these pieces. If you don’t want some piece, don’t force it just because it is on this list! If you have planned for other pieces, feel free to copy and paste this then add in your own specific bullet points.
As you think through your wedding day and are organizing the pieces you have bought or rented, work through this list to make sure you have accounted for everything! This will be particularly helpful as you are in those final stages and packing everything up to be moved to the venue! Remember, every wedding is unique and you may not want to incorporate some of these pieces. If you don’t want some piece, don’t force it just because it is on this list! If you have planned for other pieces, feel free to copy and paste this then add in your own specific bullet points.
Getting Ready Space:
Food
Something to serve food on
Plates
Napkins
Drinks
Something to serve drinks from
Something to drink drinks from
Signage
Invitation/Save the Dates (for pictures)
Speakers to play music from
Phone or other device to play music from (pro tip: if you are getting ready in a place that won’t have wifi or cell reception download your playlist ahead of time!)
Special hanger for dress
Something to wear while getting ready
Ceremony:
Altar flowers
Altar Floor decor
Aisle decor
Ceremony programs
Table for special ceremonies (i.e. sand ceremony, glass ceremony, wine ceremony, etc.)
Decor for special ceremony table
Signs (welcome, unplugged ceremony signs, etc.)
Easel for signs
Cocktail Hour:
Gift table
Linen
Sign for gift table
Card box
Guest book
Pen(s) for guest book
Something to hold pens
Decor for gift table
Flowers for gift table
Appetizer table
Linen
Signs/labels for apps
Serving utensils for apps
Plates
Forks
Napkins
Self service drink station table
Linen
Drink dispenser
Labels for beverages
Cups
Bar
Bar menu
Flowers
Reception Area:
Seating chart
Easel for seating chart
Flowers to dress up easel
Place card table
Linen
Place cards
Sign for place cards
Flowers
Other decor
Cake/dessert table
Linen
Display for cake
Cake topper
Serving set of cake knife and server
Plates for cake
Forks for cake
Napkins
Cake stand(s)
Other display items for other desserts
Other decor
Flowers
Sweetheart table
Linen
Special plates
Special cups
Flatware
Napkins
Flowers for the top of table
Other decor for top of table
Flowers for front of table
Other decor for front of table
Guest tables
Linen
Flowers
Candles
Table number
Table number stands
Other decor/personal touches
Plates
Flatware
Drinkware
Napkins
What Information to Share With a Wedding Coordinator
A good coordinator is going to take care of the details and make sure that all of your hard work is brought together just the way you wanted it. In order to do this, though, there has to be ample communication between you and the coordinator leading up to the day of your wedding. You may find yourself asking “what kind of information should I share?” I have forms on my website that guide my couples and streamline the sharing process, but if you aren’t one of my clients this guide should help with this important piece of planning!
A wedding coordinator is immensely valuable. You are essentially investing in your peace of mind on the day of your wedding. With adequate prep, a great coordinator will walk into your wedding day ready to take care of the details and make sure that all of your hard work is brought together just the way you wanted it. In order to do this, though, there has to be ample communication between you and the coordinator leading up to the day of your wedding. Prior to your wedding good coordinator is going to work with you in the weeks leading up to your special day to thoroughly discuss your plans, vendor contracts, and vision to help you catch any missing details, find solutions to potential issues, and make informed suggestions on how to create the best flow possible for your wedding day. A coordinator will do their absolute best work when all necessary information is communicated!
What to share with your coordinator:
ALL vendor information- If you have booked a vendor because you are getting married, your wedding coordinator needs their information! Send each vendor’s company name, service they are providing, contact person’s name, email address, phone number, and contracted start and end times. Sharing this information will take a ton of pressure off you immediately. Instead of turning to you to fill in arrival time, start time, and strike time of all vendors, the coordinator can begin communicating directly with the vendors. Once the coordinator reaches out, those vendors begin to ask them logistical questions instead of you! As a coordinator, I prefer to have every vendor’s contract. Your coordinator may not necessarily need each one, but it is always best to have them on hand in case anything comes up before or during your wedding so that they can easily find information without having to bother you for basic information.
Order lists from vendors- If you have rentals, florals, food, or anything else being dropped off by vendors make sure the coordinator has a list of what needs to be accounted for. Every now and then pieces will be missing from orders. The coordinator can ensure those items are either brought by the rental company later, make sure you are reimbursed for the missing items (depending on time), and/or find replacement items from another company on the spot! *If you aren’t able to share this information, by sharing the contact info, the coordinator can collect the order lists from the vendors on their own!
Venue rules and regulations- typically the venue will share this information, but if you already have this information (you should receive it at the time of booking) share it with the coordinator! They may catch some logistical issues, such as trash removal, time restrictions, or other potential issues that can be avoided if thought through ahead of time. When wedding planning there is a ton of information coming at you from a lot of different vendors so it is easy to overlook some of these details. Your coordinator is there to advocate and problem solve with you, but they need all the tools to be able to do this to the best of their ability!
Getting ready information- Even if your coordinator won’t be onsite while you are getting ready, sharing this information is important. The photographer, videographer, hair and makeup teams, or even members of your bridal party may need this information. Instead of sharing with everyone individually, sharing with your coordinator streamlines this information into the timeline which will go out to everyone at once. Your coordinator may also catch some logistical issues with transportation, access to water or food, or other details that may have slipped through the cracks!
Any rough draft timeline you may have- I typically try to connect with my clients within a few weeks of booking to create a rough draft timeline, even if their wedding is months away. This helps with logistics when booking other vendors. If you already have a rough draft, share it with your coordinator! Most coordinators will help create your timeline, but if you already have one this is a great baseline for the coordinator to build off of. There are, of course, a lot of logistics to think through when mapping out a timeline, but this is YOUR wedding so the order that you want events is the most important thing for coordinators to consider.
Floor plan- if you already have a floor plan, share it with your coordinator! This is the person that will be onsite to make sure everything is coming together while you are focused on getting ready and getting MARRIED!! In order to create the wedding you have worked so hard to put together, your coordinator needs the floor plan! Sometimes the venue will send this over, some coordinators will even help finalize this, but no matter how it is finalized they need a copy!!
Decor list & set-up plan- As intuitive as coordinators can be, they aren’t mind readers! You have worked so hard to create your overall aesthetic, so make sure that your efforts are put into practice. Let your coordinator know exactly what pieces of decor you have, where they belong, and how you’d like them arranged. Even if you have hired a decorator, communicate these pieces to your coordinator so you have an extra set of eyes on the project to make sure everything is being done the way you want! If you have a lot of decorations that you don’t have a predetermined vision for, let your coordinator know! They usually have a great eye for design and would be happy to bring this together- but they will need to know this is the case!
The name’s of everyone in your bridal party- The bridesmaids and groomsmen are not only likely participating in some key moments for your day, they are also your best friends and therefore a great ally to both you and your coordination team!
Ceremony plan & details - Your coordinator will need to know the names and order of everyone walking in the ceremony. They will also need to know who will be sitting, who will be standing, where those sitting will sit, the order in which those standing will stand, the music you plan to use for your ceremony, and which groups will be walking to which songs. They will also need to know about any special ceremonies you plan to have during your wedding ceremony.
Any and everything you know about your wedding! The coordinator needs all of the information in your brain to be in their brain! It sounds like a lot of information to share, BUT once they have this knowledge you can take a huge sigh of relief. Your coordinator can take it from there. They may need to ask you a few opinion questions on details after that point, but everything else logistics wise can be taken care of between the vendors!
You gave yourself a gift by hiring a coordinator! You don’t need to worry about anything once you let your coordinator take the reigns! All you need to do is give them all the information in order to maximize the services you have hired them to perform. So share, share, share, then sit back, relax and GET MARRIED!!
Wedding Planning Timeline Outline
Wedding planning is different for everyone and everyone operates on their own timeline. Some people are more comfortable having two years or longer to plan while others only take a few months to plan! This list is a general outline of a suggested timeframe to get the larger tasks done. Of course, you may not want all of these vendors or perhaps you want additional vendors. If you are unsure of how to work those vendors into this overview feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to guide people through the planning process!
Wedding planning is different for everyone and everyone operates on their own timeline. Some people are more comfortable having two years or longer to plan while others only take a few months to plan! This list is a general outline of a suggested timeframe to get the larger tasks done. Of course, you may not want all of these vendors or perhaps you want additional vendors. If you are unsure of how to work those vendors into this overview feel free to reach out! I’m always happy to guide people through the planning process!
I always start with my Full and Partial Planning clients by creating a customized planning outline for them. It is important for me to make sure that the outline both manageable but also realistic. We typically start broad, and then fill in the finer details to make sure everything is done, done well, and done in a timely manor so everyone is happy and no one is overwhelmed!
18-12 months before the wedding
Have engagement party (typically hosted by family or close friends)
Decide on a budget and determine what aspects of the wedding you value the most
Pro-tip: everyone has different things they care about most for their wedding! Decide what you are most looking forward to and what you’d like to allocate a bigger portion of your budget to!
Decide whether or not you want to purchase event insurance for both the day of (some venues will require this anyway) and also in the event you need to cancel or reschedule for any reason (illness, weather, etc.)
Decide whether or not you want a wedding planner.
Pro-tip: If you decide against one initially, but ultimately decide to go with one later on, plenty of planners offer partial planning options! If you are planning a destination wedding outside of your home country, a planner is critical!
Decide on the time of year you’d like the wedding to take place
Narrow the date down to a few options
Pro-tip: unless you are 100% married to a date in your mind, find a few dates, or a range of dates, that you are open to! This will help if you decide on a high-demand venue with a tendency to book out far in advance!
Create a rough outline of the guest list to help guide your venue search
Pro-tip: Have at least a ballpark figure of how many guests you will host before you decide on a venue! Many venue’s can only accommodate a set number of guests, so it is important to find one that can hold all of your guests!
Book a venue (both ceremony & reception spaces if you choose to have the ceremony at a separate location)
Create day-of timeline draft
Pro-tip: you can (and will!) make changes to this timeline as you work your way through planning, but having a general idea of the timing of key events on your wedding day will help as you book vendors!
12-8 months before the wedding
Book caterer (if not included with the venue)
Book photographer
Pro-tip: it is best to do this before creating save the dates if you want to use pictures from the engagement pictures for your save the dates!
Have engagement shoot with photographer
Figure out what items are not provided by the venue or caterer and source them through a rental company
Create wedding website for guests to find relevant information, registry, and RSVP.
If the majority of your guests are traveling from out of town, create save the dates & send them!
Begin looking for attire (i.e. wedding dress & tux/suit)
Pro-tip: on average, wedding dresses are purchased 8 months prior to the wedding, but as long as it is purchased with enough time to have it altered (2-3 months prior) you will be okay.
Ask friends/family to be in your bridal party
8-6 months before the wedding
Book bartender if not included with the venue or caterer
Book a florist and discuss what arrangements will work best with your budget and desired aesthetic
Book videographer
Book DJ or band for the reception and ceremony.
Pro-tip: Remember, many ceremony locations will need an outside sound systems brought in. Make sure that if this is the case with your venue your DJ or musician can make this accommodation
If most of your guests are local send your save the dates
Create a room block for out of town guests
Reserve transportation from hotel to venue and from venue to hotel for bridal party and other guests
Find a seamstress to alter your dress (you won’t be able to alter this far out, but it is important to reserve your space, as many people will book up)
Book day-of-coordinator if you have chosen not to have a full planner or if your planner does not include day of services
Begin working on playlists & song choices for special moments/dances
6-4 months before the wedding
Begin planning your honeymoon
Pick out attire for bridesmaids & groomsmen
Find hair and makeup artist(s) and have a trial run
Pro-tip: trials aren’t meant to be perfect! They are learning experience for you and your makeup professional. Your professional is learning your skin tone, facial structure, and general preferences. You are learning how your preferred style translates to your face, how well your hair and makeup will hold up throughout the day, and, of course, figuring out if your hair and makeup team is able to hear your feedback and make adjustments accordingly. Now, if by the end of the trial the professional hasn’t earned your trust, of course, consider finding someone who can achieve your hair and makeup goals. It is much better to have this revelation during a trial than on your actual wedding day!
Hire an officiant
Order the wedding cake and/or other desserts
Begin planning gifts for bridal party
Make reservations at a hotel for bridal party, bride/groom, and family for the wedding night
Select & order wedding rings
4-2 months before the wedding
Pick out shoes to wear with your wedding dress
Take dress to seamstress
Begin writing wedding vows
Begin planning bachelor/bachelorette parties
Begin purchasing decor/personal touches OR decide on decor rental company
Schedule rehearsal time with venue and reserve a location for rehearsal dinner
Pro-tip: most venues will allow you to schedule this 45-90 days prior to your scheduled wedding day.
Apply for marriage license
Pro-tip: In California 9and many other states), you can apply for your marriage license up to 90 days in advance. Appointments can be difficult to come by! Be sure to schedule an appointment early!
Design, order, & send invitations
Pro-tip: If most of your guests are coming from out of town, send the invitations 3.5 months in advance. If most guests are local send invitations 2.5 months before the wedding. Either way, the RSVP date should be no less than 1.5 months prior to your wedding date.
Pro-tip: RSVP dates should be no less than 1.5 months prior to the wedding, but ideally no more than 2.5 months in advance. 1.5 months allows you time to follow up with guests who haven’t RSVPd prior to any final head count dates w/ the venue, caterer, etc. Any date much more than 2.5 months in advance allows guests a lot of opportunity for things to come up that will change their RSVP response and you’ll find yourself needing to reconfirm numbers with vendors and reworking seating charts!
2-1 month before the wedding
Bridal shower (typically family or bridal party will plan this)
Bachelor/Bachelorette parties (if most of your bridal party will be traveling for the wedding, consider having these earlier so that you aren’t asking your friends to travel too much too close together)
Make sure all bridal party have purchased or reserved their attire for the wedding
If any bridal party needs alterations, these should be dropped off
Plan party favors for guests and order the items you need
RSVPs due- check in with guests who have not responded to invitations yet
Have final venue walk through
Create floor plan(s)
Creating seating chart
Decide on ceremony details:
Processional song(s)
Who will walk in your ceremony
What order they are walking in
Who will stand for your ceremony & the order they are standing in
Who will sit after walking in processional & where they will sit
If you want any special ceremonies, readings, songs, etc.
Recessional song
Who will participate in the recessional
Where you will go after you recess
Where your bridal party and/or family will go after you recess
Who your witnesses will be
Who will carry rings and vows for ceremony
1 month before the wedding
Send all song requests to DJ
Check in with vendors to confirm services, obtain insurance policies (if required by venue), and track any outstanding balances remaining
Revise timeline & make sure it is up to date with your wants/needs & vendor contracted times
Send timeline to vendors
Collect vendor insurance information & share with venue
Have final dress fitting (this way there is still time if any other alterations need to be made)
Finalize and confirm all details of honeymoon
Decide what order you will have bridal party walk for the ceremony and grand entrance
Finalize floor plan with venue
Check in with caterer to confirm headcount and finalize the details of the menu
Pick up dress from alterations if it had to be left behind for further alterations
Make sure all bridal party has picked up dresses/suits from alterations
Pick out outfit for rehearsal dinner
3 weeks before the wedding
Map out all decor and organize it into clearly marked boxes to ensure everything is set up properly on the day of your wedding
Begin writing thank you notes for any gifts that have already been purchased from your registry
Finalize wedding vows
Finalize all song selections (i.e. first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, grand entrance, etc.)
2 weeks before the wedding
Have final meeting with DJ to go over details
Have final meeting with photo & video teams to go over details
Finalize seating chart and transfer it to display form
Pro-tip: this may seem a little last minute, but THINGS HAPPEN! Last minute guest cancellations and last minute guest confirmations come up so it is best to save this for as late as possible without letting it fall by the wayside!
1 week before the wedding
Get hair done (color and cut)
Create day-of checklist to make sure that no personal items or decor is left behind
Get nails done
If spray tanning, get spray tan (ideally 36-48 hrs prior to wedding)
Prepare all bridal party gifts
1 day before the wedding
Pack for wedding day/night
Pack for honeymoon
Have ceremony rehearsal
Have rehearsal dinner
Give bridal party gifts out at rehearsal dinner
Go home. Sleep well
The wedding day
Read through the timeline in the morning
Be sure to eat!
Get ready
Get MARRIED!
Have fun :)
Wedding Details Checklist (Did You Get it All?)
Remembering and organizing the details of a wedding is the cause of wedding stress for so many couples. Ease your brain by running through this list of questions to make sure you have everything organized and on track with your wedding planning!
There are so many small details that can seem incidental when wedding planning, but planning through the details in advance is the difference between the day running incredibly smoothly and potentially hitting some hiccups. Use the list of questions below to make sure your day is set up to flow as seamlessly as possible!
This list is intended to be referenced throughout planning, but is most useful in the 1-2 month period before your wedding. The larger details, like selecting vendors, and the little aspects that come with them will not be included in this list. Instead, this list focuses on the smaller details that are easily and commonly over looked in the final two months of planning!
This list is divided into sections in order to organize the chaos. The list will start with logistics and then move through the timeline of your day.
Note: all of our clients receive a personalized & even more comprehensive version of this list that we will go over together to ensure all details have been accounted for.
LOGISTICS:
Have you purchased Day-of Event Insurance? Hint: Many venues require this! This is different from full wedding planning insurance! Learn more about wedding insurance here!
Who is keeping an eye on restrooms throughout your wedding (i.e. stocking, cleaning, & managing if something goes array)?
Are there dumpsters at your wedding venue? Are there trash cans at your wedding venue? Who is in charge of trash removal?
How are your guests getting to and from the venue? If they’re driving, where will they park? Is it clear or will you need signs?
How are you and your fiancé getting to and from the venue? Pro-tip: if you aren’t booking shuttles, party buses, limos, or any other sort of professional service, book an Uber/Lyft in advance for a smooth getaway!
Are doing “old, new, borrowed, and blue” items do you know what they are? If so, will these items be coming to the venue with you, or will someone else bring them?
If you have gotten your fiancé a gift or card, when will you give this to them?
Check the weather! Do you need any last minute climate control (i.e a tent, umbrellas for sunny days, or space heaters)?
If you purchased your own decorations, how will they get to the venue? Who will set them up?
Do you have signs to mark areas or communicate important messages? How will the signs be displayed (do you have easels, are they in frames, can they stand on their own)? Do you need garlands or other touches to dress up any signs? Are these ordered?
Do you have a guest book? Do you have pens for the guest book?
Do you have a card box? Pro-tip: beautiful is good, secure is great, beautiful and secure is the best!
If people have gifted you decor/essential items, when will these items be arriving? Pro-tip: gifts are great! Make sure that whoever is delivering them will arrive in plenty of time for the gifted items to be set up!
Do you have a timeline that you sent to vendors?
Who will be making sure the timeline is running according to plan throughout the event?
Have you applied for your marriage license? Pro-tip: in California, you can apply for a marriage license up to 90 days in advance! Be sure to schedule your appointment to apply early!
Is the “cards and gifts” table going to be visible throughout the wedding? If not, do you want the cards hidden away at some point? Pro-tip: it is always a good idea to hide away cards and card boxes after cocktail hour!
Will someone need to move the cards and gifts to the reception area? Who will do this?
If you are going somewhere other than home after the wedding have you packed your overnight bag?
How will the overnight bag(s) get to your hotel?
GETTING READY:
Where are you and your fiance getting ready?
Who are you each getting ready with?
How will everyone be arriving to their respective getting ready locations?
If people are driving, will they be able to leave their car overnight?
If you are getting ready somewhere other than your home have you packed a bag?
Did you include:
Deodorant
Emergency makeup
Makeup remover
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Undergarments (and backup undergarments!!)
Some kind of jacket
Robe or something to wear while getting ready
JEWELRY
Shoes
Back up flats JUST IN CASE
Another outfit/dress JUST IN CASE
If applicable, backup contacts
Contact solution
Glasses
Eye drops
Tissues
Femine products JUST IN CASE
6. Do you have instructions from your hair and makeup team about how they would like everyone to arrive (freshly washed hair, fresh face, no preference, wash on site, etc.)?
7. Has your hair and makeup team confirmed they have enough time and staff to complete all of the professional services they’ve been contract for based on your timeline?
8 Are there enough mirrors/outlets for everyone in your getting ready space? (Pro-tip: If not, bring an extra mirror and a power strip or two)
9. Is there drinking water available where you are getting ready? If not, who will bring this?
10. When will you eat breakfast/lunch? If someone needs to bring food, who will it be? When will they buy it?
11. Do you want wine/beer/champagne/other alcohol while you are getting ready? Who will bring this? When will they buy it? How much will they buy? Pro-tip: Don’t forget cups!!!
12. Is there a refrigerator for food/drinks? Pro-tip: if not, bring a cooler or bring things that don’t need to be kept cool!
13. Who will clean up the food/getting ready mess when you are done?
14. Who will be gathering your personal items if you can’t leave them overnight?
15. If you are getting ready at the venue and you can’t leave your items in the bridal suite during the wedding, where will these items be stored?
16. Does everyone you are getting ready with know the plan?
CEREMONY:
Who will bring the marriage license to the venue?
Do you have ceremony programs? Where will these be placed? Who will place them?
Who is walking down the aisle (family, bridal party, officiant, other)?
What order are they walking in?
If anyone walking in the processional is not standing for the ceremony, do you have a plan of where they will sit after they walk down the aisle? Do have reserved signs for these seats?
Where will everyone walk from?
How long is your processional song(s)? Is it long enough to have everyone walk?
If you have multiple songs, who will cue the musician for the change of song?
Do you have a mic/speakers for the ceremony?
When will the officiant arrive so they can do a sound check?
Do you have a ring box?
Who will carry the rings down the aisle?
Did you write your own vows?
Who is bringing the vows to the venue?
Who will carry the vows down the aisle?
Do you have a bridesmaid to hold your bouquet while you exchange rings? If not, what will you do with the bouquet during the ceremony?
Have you specified to your photographer any special photos you would like during the ceremony?
Does you DJ/band know the absolute last line of the ceremony in order to cue the music?
Where will you go once you recess? Does your photo/video team know about this?
Where will your bridal party go once they recess? Your family?
When will you sign the marriage license?
Who will be your witness(es)?
Where will the marriage license go for the remainder of the reception once it is signed?
Who is releasing the guests from the ceremony area? (Hint: typically the officiant will do this unless they are participating in the recessional, in which case the DJ will make the announcement for guests to join cocktail hour.)
Do guests need to be guided to a different area for cocktail hour? Who will do this?
Do chairs need to be moved from the ceremony to reception area? Who will do this?
If your ceremony venue is different from your reception venue how will you and your guests be transported from the ceremony to the reception?
COCKTAIL HOUR
What will guests be doing during cocktail hour (i.e playing games, photo ops, or simply be mingling)?
Are there chairs for people to sit if they want/need to?
Is your caterer providing apps? How will apps be served?
Who will clean up the app plates/station?
Will you be taking pictures during this time?
Have you scoped out areas you would like to take pictures before hand?
Are you taking pictures with family members?
How will the family members know when they are needed for pictures?
Does your photographer have a list of pictures you want? Pro-tip: this list should include all of the different groups of people you want to take photos with!
Are you going to be able to eat any of the apps?
If your bar is switching locations, will anything need to be moved from cocktail area to reception area? Do you have enough bartenders to make this happen?
RECEPTION:
How will guests know when to sit for dinner? Is the DJ/MC going to make an announcement?
How will guests know where to sit for dinner? Do you have a seating chart or place cards?
Are you doing a grand entrance? Who will participate? Who will line them up and announce them? Pro-tip: typically the DJ/MC will do this in conjunction with the coordination team!
What will you do after the grand entrance (first dance, welcome speech, sit for dinner, other)?
If you are doing your first dance right after your grand entrance, where will the bridal party stand while you dance? Pro-tip: It can be distracting to have the bridal party searching for seats while you dance. Typically they will stand somewhere predetermined around the dance floor to watch you dance before taking their seats!
Does the bridal party already know where they should sit for dinner?
How will guests have access to water during dinner? Will someone be pouring water/refilling glasses, will there be water carafes on tables, or will there be a water dispenser that guests can retrieve water from? If there are dispensers or carafes of water who will refill these?
How will dinner be served (buffet, family style, or plated)?
If you are doing a buffet, who will release the tables to the buffet?
If you are doing buffet, will you make your own plate or will someone be doing this for you? Pro-tip: If you are going through the buffet, usually the newly weds go first!
Are you going to walk around to tables to say hi to everyone and take table pictures during dinner?
Have you allowed yourself enough time to eat and to say hi? Pro-tip: it typically takes 3-7 minutes per table on average for table photos!
Have you predetermined who will be giving toasts and the order in which they will be given? Are you planning to open the floor for any guests who would like to give toasts? Pro-tip: make sure your DJ/MC knows the speech/toast plan!!
Who will clean up the dinner plates? If the plates are rentals from a company outside of the catering team, does the catering/bussing team know how the rental company prefers the plates to be returned to them?
If you are doing any choreographed dances, does the DJ/musician know?
If you are doing a money dance, do you have safety pins or another way to keep the money secure while you are dancing? Where will these be located? Who will bring them to you?
Do you have a separate bouquet to throw for a bouquet toss so your special bouquet doesn’t get messed up?
Do you have a things for cake cutting (knife, serving utensils, plates)? Pro-tip: designate some one (if you don’t have a coordination team) to place cake cutting utensils, plates, forks, napkins, and water by the cake before your cake cutting!
How will dessert be served? Pro-tip: caterers can be a bit finicky about cutting cake and serving dessert that they didn’t provide! Confirm they are either open to serving these items OR make alternative plans!
Are you doing a grand exit?
Who will line everyone up and make sure sparklers are lit/glow sticks are cracked/bubbles are ready/or whatever else you have planned is prepared?
If you are doing sparklers, where will the hot sparkler sticks go after the exit? Pro-tip: you will need a large bucket (or four!) with water close by so guests can dispose of their sparklers safely after the exit!
How will you leave the venue?
Who will make sure your personal items are in your exit vehicle?
Where will you go after the reception? If it is a hotel, have you already checked in?
CLEAN UP:
When do all vendors need to be off property? Who will make sure this happens? Is there a fine if guests/vendors are on property longer than the contract time?
Have you confirmed with all vendors that the clean-up window is large enough for them to clean/clear at the end of the reception?
Which, if any, vendors are returning to collect things at the end of the night? (i.e. rentals, bathroom trailer pick-up, florist, etc.?)
Who will take your decorations at the end of the night? Which vehicle are they going into? Does this person know the plan?
Who is removing floral arrangements? Can guests take these? Where do you want leftover florals to go?
What do you want to do with your bouquet after the wedding? Do you want to save it? Do you know the process of preserving the bouquet in the way you want? Pro-tip: Make a preservation plan for your bouquet ahead of time and make sure that whoever if taking it knows what they must do THAT NIGHT to ensure the bouquet is in optimum condition for preservation!
Where do extra favors go?
Do you want leftovers? Where does leftover food/cake go?
If the florist doesn’t need anything back and where would you like the leftover centerpieces to go?
Does your venue require a final walkthrough with the coordination team at the end of cleanup?